The present invention relates to a fork attachment for the bucket of a front end loader.
There are known in the prior art a number of fork attachments to enable a front end loader to lift loads outwardly of the bucket, in the normal manner of a fork lift. Some require attachment to the upper edge of the bucket, such as Brock U.S. Pat. No. 2,473,505, Carter U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,642, Capella U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,633 and Guest U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,331. These are expensive constructions, and in some instances require either the use of a non-standard bucket, or modification of the bucket. A simpler construction is disclosed in Coleman U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,023 which provides a fork for attachment to a standard bucket, the fork having a forwardly extending prong and rearwardly extending upper and lower clamping lip portions to receive the lip of the bucket between them; this construction is made from steel stock, apparently machined, and has no riser or post to support the load when the lifting prong or tine is inclined. A more economical construction is taught by Duffield U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,844, the fork attachment being made of tubular sections secured perpendicularly by welding to provide a tine and a riser or post; the clamping screw is spaced from the rear end of the tine, there is only a single clamping action, there is no protection against damage by the bucket's cutting edge, and there is a back bearing bar of the same width as the tine.